De Gratia et Factura
by SnowbellaAndFriends
Summary: A curious book is found by the twins, and a horrific turn of events soon takes place, leaving one twin terribly injured. Thankfully, there is a friend around to lend a helping hand.


**A/N:** Okay, this is my first fiction based on the movie 9, and while it's a oneshot, it's something I just had to get off my chest. It started last night, and just kept bugging me and bugging me and bugging me nonstop! I had to put it on paper because it was getting in the way of me starting up my second chapter for my Innocence and Instinct story, and when that happens, it really irks me. Oh, well, at least I'll get this up and then get back to my Yin-Yang-Yo! story and finish that up finally.

The story is set a year or two after the war between the machines and humans ended, just before the Cat Beast began hunting them and before the events in the movie.

**Disclaimer and Warning:** I do not and never will own anything in this story except the plot; the rest belongs to Shane Acker. As well, there are Christian/Hebrew perspectives. If you don't like or don't have anything good to say, take yourself somewhere else.

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**De Gratia et Factura**

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"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres." - 1 Cor. 13:4-7

* * *

_'Click, click, flicker, click'_

Gentle and pained images of light escaped the young stitchpunk's eyes as she cradled her injured arm, the tear that raced down from the shoulder to the just above the wrist easily seen despite the darkness that covered the area around her. Normally in such a situation like this, she would've gotten up and gone to the workshop to get stitched back up, but the rather large splinter of wood that was embedded in her leg hindered her movements, leaving her stranded and glued in place. At the moment, she was alone, her twin having raced off to find help after she'd taken her fall from the shelves above, hence her current state of being.

What had started out as a simple search had ended quite horribly. She had been reading a rather easy book by herself when her slightly elder brother had come to her asking for help in moving a new book he'd just found from the second shelf of the cathedral's small library. Naturally, she'd come to her brother's aid, and climbed to the second shelf with him to retrieve the book. Said reading material was placed farthest back in the shelf, hence its late discovery, and was rather small in comparison to the other books in the library, but was very thick and had the words 'Holy Bible' written on its worn black leatherback cover in gold. Needless to say, she'd become intrigued on first sight.

That's when things had begun to go wrong.

She'd volunteered to pull the spine while her brother had gone to the back to push, but as they came to the edge, which was weak thanks to years and years of water damage and rotting, it had begun to give way under the combined weight of the book and the twins as well as the momentum of the book's movement. Her brother had managed to jump to the more stable part of the shelf in the back, but she'd not been fast enough and had crumbled to the ground along with the edge of the shelf and the book, slicing her arm open on a sharp rusted nail and having the large wooden splinter impale her leg, leaving her in the painful position she was now.

In his worry, her brother had quickly scurried down to the scene of the accident, and after finding her in such a state, had at first been in a heap of concern and fear. It was another moment before an idea seemingly came to him, and after telling her he was going for help and would be right back, he rushed off, leaving her alone in wreckage; he'd been too weak physically to carry her from the splinters and had been fearful that he might do more damage if he tried, so therefore didn't dare to.

The book that had been at the center of all of this was currently sprawled open, it's thin water damaged pages scattered here and there over the area, all torn from the traumatic fall it had taken. The book hadn't been in good condition in the first place, so it was no surprise when it had come apart upon hitting the earth. They'd both been expecting it to do the same when they pushed it off the shelf; of course they were also expecting to collect up the pages and begin cataloging immediately. Right now, she didn't feel like cataloging anything anymore.

_'Click, click... flash!'_

Releasing her injured arm for a moment, carefully as not to aggravate the wound, she tried to shift her injured leg into a more comfortable position, but cringed and shut her optics tightly when she made the attempt, her uninjured arm recoiling back to her side. The splinter was hitting against the sensitive metal frame within her body, making it almost impossible to move without some form of immense agony. So instead, she simply returned to cradling her injury once again, her small hooded head lowering as she tried to control the dry sobs that threatened to overwhelm her. She'd been left alone for what seemed like hours; each moment stretching longer than the last. Where was her brother? Where was the help he'd promised he'd get?

How much longer was she going to be alone?

_--_

He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't wrap his mind around it. It had started out with innocent curiosity and the joy of new discovery and had switched so fast to sickening horror and overwhelming worry it was almost dizzying. He'd had no choice but to leave her there, he didn't want to injure her even more than she already was, but it was breaking him with each moment that passed and he wasn't by her side. His reason for leaving was to find 2, the elderly inventor who was also a healer for them all. He would've gone to get 7 as well, as he and his sister were very close with the warrior, but he was certain she was outside the cathedral looking for supplies as she normally was at this time. Besides, if he could just find the elder and bring him to where his sister was lying, 2 could sew her up good as new in no time, but at the moment the elder was no where in sight.

_'Click, click, click!'_

The eyes of the eldest twin flickered brightly in urgency as he ran into the new elevator, which was created by 2 and his apprentice 5 not two weeks ago by using a bucket and a pulley system, quickly closing the metallic door and quickly cranked the lever that would make it go up to the next floor, which was the inventor's workshop. His dark eyes flickered with bright light has he fidgeted around inside the bucket, impatient to get to the workshop. Why was this freaking bucket so slow?!

_'Flash, click, flicker!'_

At last, the floor on which the inventor's workshop was located was coming into view from above the eldest twin's hooded head, the soft glow of the light within the room bringing a small inch of comfort to the young stitchpunk. The light meant that someone was in there, right? Hope flared in the young stitchpunk's chest as the bucket finally came to a stop, and without wasting another precious second he blasted out of the thin metal door, pulling back the velvet red curtain and gazing into the workshop.

_'Flash, flicker, flicker!'_

Optics flickered to life with light as the young stitchpunk glanced around the dull lighted room, seeking out the form of the elder stitchpunk, but he only was met with a crushing disappointment. His gaze searched left and right, but he still couldn't find the form of the elder. Disheartened but not about to give up, the young stitchpunk raced in, hoping beyond hope that he'd just simply overlooked the elder and that he was inside the workshop after all, but as he searched the small area, he felt his hope dim. What happened if he couldn't find 2? What if the elder had gone outside to find more things to tinker with? How was he going to help his sister then? Even if he did returned to her side like he wanted, it still wouldn't help; he couldn't move her, and he had no place to take her for help with 2 not being in the workshop.

Refusing to give up, the young stitchpunk pushed these thoughts from his mind and raced back into the metallic bucket, pulling the lever to make it rise to the throne room. If 2 wasn't in the workshop, he had to be in the throne room, right? Or if not there, in the watchtower, right?

He prayed the inventor was in one of those rooms.

_--_

A sigh escaped the young mechanic as he approached the elevator, his one optic blinking in slight boredom. His mentor had decided to go out into the 'Emptiness' to find supplies with 7 today, and even despite the urging of both the female and his mentor, he'd once again refused to go outside the cathedral. Even though there wasn't much to worry about anymore, he was still frightened of leaving the safety of the hideout; he was always thinking something was watching him, and the fact that the last time he was outside in the Emptiness he'd lost an optic didn't help much either.

He shuttered involuntarily at the memory; he'd been a little out of it then, but he definitely remembered the pain his shattered lens had caused him. Unconsciously, he raised a hand and placed it over the leather patch that covered where his optic had once been. That memory still haunted him; if it hadn't been for 2 and 7, he knew he wouldn't be alive. They'd come back for him, saved his life, so surely he should at least go out with them once... maybe next time, or perhaps the next time after that... he just didn't feel like it right now.

The sound of the pulley system moving stirred him from his thoughts, and his optic immediately focused on the empty space the bucket normally occupied. A confused look passed by the mechanic's optic as he tried to think of who would be coming up from the lower floors. He'd just passed by 1 and 8, and 6 was still in his little hole not far away, and 2 and 7 couldn't be back so soon could they? That only left the twins, 3 and 4. It actually made since; those two hadn't been seen since they'd gone to what was left of the cathedral's very small library, which was at the lowest room in the hideout. Perhaps they'd grown tired and decided to come back?

That thought was quickly put to rest when the bucket came to a stop and only 3 was visible inside the metallic object.

"3?" the mechanic's voice was bordering confusion and slight worry as he caught sight of the single twin, confusion from the fact that just one of the twins had appeared and worry for the frantic look about the male twin's face.

As soon as the male twin's number was spoken, the hooded stitchpunk jerked his gaze to the mechanic's form, and immediately a look of relief flooded over his optics as he burst from the bucket, grasping 5's arm as his eyes flickered brightly.

_'Click! Click, click! Click!'_

The mechanic's optic widened in shock at the urgency in the other's optics, and that coupled with the fact that the younger twin wasn't attached to her brother's side as she normally was, a sense of dread filled the apprentice. Something was wrong, that much was certain, and he had a feeling it had something to do with the female twin. "3, what's wrong? Where's 4?" he asked, unable to hide the concern in his voice, but was again met with a series of light flickers before being jerked hard towards the bucket by the frantic twin. He didn't put up resistance, and let the male twin pull him into the bucket.

The sense of dread grew as he closed the metallic door behind both himself and the younger stitchpunk, his hand grasping and pulling the lever that would take them down to the library. He knew something was up; 3 never left 4's side or vice versa unless something was very wrong, and if the sinking feeling that was growing in his 'stomach' was right, something was terribly wrong.

He lost track of time as the descended, that is until the earth started to come closer. The moment the bucket touched the ground, 3 was the first one out of the door and to the doorway, stopping and fidgeting at the library's entrance as he waited for the mechanic to catch up. The one-eyed stitchpunk wasted no time either in leaving the bucket, running passed the male twin into the library. He was hoping that this feeling was wrong, that there was nothing wrong and that the twins were just playing a prank, but as he entered the library, he was stopped in his tracks by what was presented in front of him.

He didn't notice as male twin raced past him, his gaze locked on scene in front of him.

What the heck happened?!

_--_

The soft, distance sound of the bucket hitting the ground was just barely heard by the youngest twin as she forced her optics to stay open, the pain of her injuries sapping out all of her energy. She'd lost count of the minutes that had passed since her brother had left her side, but she was sure it was around ten minutes... it felt much longer than that though. Her head lulled to the side for a moment before she jerked it up, agitating her injured arm in the process. Sleep was starting to become very appealing, but she still forced herself to stay awake. She couldn't fall asleep, could she?

The scurrying sounds of feet racing against the hard stone floor caught her attention, and as she lifted her small head up to gaze in the direction of the sound, she felt joy and relief flood through her pain-ridden body. Her brother had returned! A tired but wide smile crossed her features as her twin knelt beside her, clicking quietly as he spoke to her through their own unique language.

_'Click, click, flicker.'_

She couldn't even find the strength to answer, instead just leaning her head tiredly against her brother's shoulder. Words or flashes of light couldn't describe how relieved she was that her brother had returned; she wasn't alone anymore, and being alone had been worse than being in the pain she was currently experiencing. Her optics shuttered closed softly, until a sudden flash of movement caught her sight. Her gaze lifted as more footsteps entered her hearing range, and within moments, the familiar form of 5 was knelt down next to her as well, a gentle and concerned look coming over his remaining optic.

He didn't ask what happened as most would've, and she knew why; one good look at the half-broken shelf above, the scattered book pages, and the splintered disaster she was currently resting on was enough to tell the whole story.

_--_

A sigh escaped the elder male stitchpunk as he overlooked the younger female, disbelief marking his features. It was no mystery now what had happened now that he'd caught sight of the broken shelf above the female's hooded head. The shelf had obviously given way, taking 4 with it and the book she and her brother must've been trying to retrieve. He couldn't help but to cringe as he caught sight of the large wood splinter that was impaled in her left leg, then turning his gaze to examine the rather large rip in her right arm. A clean tear and a simple straight through hole; both of which could be easily sewn up, but he had to get her back to the workshop where all the supplies were to do that.

But first thing was first; he'd never be able to get her back to the workshop with that oversized piece of wood in her leg. It had to come out, which then led to the problem of how he was going to do it without frightening the young female. It was only a moment later that he came up with an idea, one he could only pray would work.

"3, 4, both of you look at me." he spoke in a calm but level tone as he turned his gaze to the twins' feaces, which had turned towards him at the mention of their names. "I've got to pull the splinter out so we can get to the workshop. So I need you both to listen carefully." he began, his voice becoming slightly softer when he noticed the fearful look in the young girl's eyes.

He then turned his attention to 3, who was looking just as fearful as his sister, but more so out of worry for her well-being. "3, keep her attention on you, and don't let go of her hand." he instructed before looking back to 4, whose optics had begun to flicker nervously. "This'll hurt for a moment, but don't take your eyes off 3 whatever the reason." he warned calmly; his reason for this was because he didn't want the young girl to witness the splinter being pulled from her leg, which was the quickest and least painful way to extract it. In his experience, watching just made things worse in a situation like this.

Receiving nods from both twins, the elder stitchpunk waited until 4 had her attention on her brother before grasping the sharp wooden object, glancing back to make sure she hadn't turned her head to watch and just barely catching the grimace that crossed her face. He had to make this quick; he didn't want to cause more pain to the young female than what she was already feeling, and the quicker he got her back to the workshop and sewn up, the better.

Steeling himself mentally and physically, the mechanic didn't faulter as he quickly snatched the splinter from her leg, causing the younger twin to tense up in an obvious show of pain.

After the younger twin's leg was freed, his gaze instinctively turned to the younger female and her brother, just catching the look of sheer agony across her features before she calmed down, relief flooding over her features yet again. With a small sigh of thankfulness, the mechanic threw the splinter into the piles of broken wood before returning his attention to the injured twin, who was slowly slipping into unconsciousness on her brother's shoulder. As her optics shuttered a few times, her gaze turned to him and a few weak clicks were given.

_'Click, flicker, click...'_

He couldn't suppress the small smile that crossed his mouth, his gaze softening towards the younger stitchpunk. He didn't understand the language that she and her brother shared, but he did understand that those few clicks were a definite 'thank you'. "You're welcome." he replied softly as the female let herself slip into sleep. He would've been happy to leave to her rest, but she still needed to be sewn up, and he was sure that despite the fact her brother was with her, the wooden splinters were definitely not the best bed.

Gently as not to further aggravate her injuries, he slipped his arms underneath her back and knees, placing her close to his chest to stabilize and balance her in his arms as he rose to his feet. It wasn't that hard; 4 and 3 were both lightweight compared to the other stitchpunks, and since he doubted she was going to wake up anytime soon, this was best way to get her back to the workshop where he could tend to her wounds. His single eye glanced to his side as caught sight of 3 rising to his own feet, looking at his sister's peaceful face; his concern and worry had eased up, but there was still just a hint of it left, and really the young mechanic couldn't blame him.

One last glance up at the hole in the shelf, and the mechanic quickly stiffened a cringe. It wasn't very high, but to come crashing down into a pile of splinters... quickly pushing the thought aside, the one-eyed mechanic quickly turned heel, heading back to the elevator bucket with 3 close on his heels.

Both didn't seem to notice that 4 had snuggled closer into the mechanic's embrace.

_--_

The pain from the splinter hitting against her metal frame had been great, but like 5 had promised, it didn't last very long, and after giving the mechanic a quick thank you, the young female began to allow herself to fall into sleep's embrace against her brother's shoulder. However, a few moment's later, she found herself being lifted up in someone's arms, rousing her from the slumber she'd almost entered. She didn't bother opening her optics; the button she felt against her uninjured arm told her she was in 5's arms.

Her injuries still hurt, thanks to the fact that cold air was hitting against the exposed parts of her metallic frame, and seeking comfort, she snuggled closer to the mechanic's chest, happy that she was finally about to get sewn up and that she wouldn't be in pain anymore. She listened to the footfalls of her brother and friend as they walked against the stone path, but has their metal feet came in contact with the metallic floor of the bucket, she couldn't fight sleep anymore, and finally gave into the peacefulness of darkness at last.

She knew she was finally safe.

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**A/N: **Finally, this is done. I tell you now, I am glad this is done, what a bug it has been. *whew* Alrighty, explaination time:

First off, 4's gender. I know most of you all consider 4 to be a boy, but I have and perhaps always will until given solid proof to the contrary believe that 4 is a girl. I've also heard from a source that there was an interview with Shane Acker where he said that 3 and 4's genders were up to our imagination and that he did them like he did especially for that reason. I don't know if that is true or not, but it's what I heard and so far it's all the proof I have about their genders.

Secondly, my reasoning for using the Bible as the book they were trying to retrieve is because they live in a cathedral; surely there has to be a Bible in there, and besides, the verse worked for this story if you ask me.

Lastly, the title of the story is Latin for 'Of Grace and Creation', the meaning of the numbers 5 and 4 respectively in the Hebrew perspective.

I'm thinking about turning this into a group of drabbles, but that's only if you guys really like it. Read and review please. This is Snowy signing out. :D


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